揽 (lǎn) — to embrace, to take into one's arms; to take on (responsibility, project); to monopolize, to seize (a market, credit)
Definition
揽 covers two distinct senses: physically embracing (more literary than 抱 bào), and figuratively taking on work or seizing control (stronger than 担当 dāndāng 'undertake responsibly'; close to 垄断 lǒngduàn 'monopolize').
verb
to embraceto take into one's armsto take on (responsibility, project)to monopolizeto seize (a market, credit)
Easily confused
Examples
- 揽。Tā qīng qīng de bǎ hái zi lǎn zài huái lǐ.He gently held the child in his arms.
- 揽。Zhè ge xiàng mù wǒ lǎn xià lái le.I take on this project.
- 。Tā men xiǎng dú lǎn suǒ yǒu de dìng dān.They want to monopolize all orders.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 攬; 揽 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
覽
覽lǎn攬lǎn
Same sound today
The traditional form 攬 pairs 扌 (hand) with the sound part 覽, giving the sense of grasping with the hand; the simplified 揽 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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